Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

June 25
Thursday


CHIMP EDEN

READ:
Numbers 14:1-10
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Eugene Cussons rescues chimpanzees. Orphaned by those in the business of bush-meat trade and taken from the jungle as infants, many have lived their entire lives confined in a space smaller than a prison cell. When Cussons arrives to take them to the game reserve he calls "Chimp Eden," he often finds them hostile and untrusting.

"These chimps don't realize that I am one of the good guys," Cussons says. When he tries to put them into a smaller crate for the trip to their new home, they put up quite a fight. "They don't know that I'm going to take them back to Chimp Eden and give them a life so much better."

On a much grander scale, God's offer to liberate us from the slavery of sin is often met with resistance. When he rescued the children of Israel from Egypt. God took them through difficult places that caused them to doubt His good intentions. "Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" they cried (Num. 14:3).

On our journey of faith, there are times when the "freedom" of sin that we left behind is more appealing than the restrictions of faith that lie ahead. We must trust the protective boundaries found in God's Word as the only way to get to the place of ultimate freedom. __Julie Ackerman Link
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````````````````````Sins' lure may look like freedom``````````````
``````````````````````But in its grip we're bound;````````````````
````````````````````It's when we're bound to Jesus```````````````
```````````````Real freedom will be found. __D. De Haan```````````
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Obedience to God is the key to freedom.

************Today's Bible Reading __ Numbers 14:1-10************

1 So all the congregation
lifted up their voices and
cried, and the people wept
that night. 2 And all the
children of Israel complained
against Moses and Aaron,
and the whole congregation
said to them, "If only we had
died in the land of Egypt!...

3 Why has the LORD brought
us to this land to fall by the
sword, that our wives and
children should become
victims? Would it not be
better for us to return to
Egypt?" 4 So they said to
one another, "Let us select a
leader and return to Egypt."

5 Then Moses and Aaron
fell on their faces before all
the assembly of the
congregation of the children
of Israel. 6 But Joshua the
son of Nun and Caleb the
son of jephunneh, who were
among those who had spied
out the land, tore their
clothes; 7 and they spoke to
all the congregation of the
children of Israel, saying:
"The land we passed through
to spy out is an exceedingly
good land. 8 If the LORD
delights in us, then He will
bring us into this land and
give it to us, 'a land which
flows with milk and honey.'

9 Only do not rebel against
the LORD, nor fear the
people of the land, for they
are our bread; their
protection has departed from
them, and the LORD is with
us...."

10 And all the congregation
said to stone them with
stones. Now the glory of the
LORD appeared in the
tabernacle of meeting before
all the children of Israel.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Twelve spies were sent to survey the land (Num. 13:17-20). They
reported that the cities were well-fortified and the people were of such
great size that they felt like grasshoppers (vv.28-33). This instilled fear
and mistrust in the Israelites (14:1-4; Josh. 14:8). Joshua and Caleb
encouraged the people to trust God for protection. __SIM KAY TEE